Welcome to Real Forsyth! Here, you’ll be able to keep up with the latest developments and growth happening in Forsyth County, Georgia. If this landed in your spam, please move it to your inbox so you don’t miss any future issues. Also, make sure to share it with your friends in FoCo. Now here’s what happened recently:

Kidcreate Studio Cumming opened August 29 at 1810 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 105, bringing a new children’s art-enrichment concept to South Forsyth. The studio offers art classes, camps, birthday parties, homeschool programs and mobile lessons for schools, daycares and community groups, with programming generally aimed at young children through preteens. The Cumming location is part of the Kidcreate Studio franchise system and is locally owned by Katie and Mike Arguel, according to local reporting. For Forsyth, this is a good small-business growth story because it reflects the county’s continued demand for kids’ activities, party venues and enrichment options tied to a fast-growing family population.

Source: KidCreate Studio

Play It Again Sports opened its Cumming store on Thursday, September 3, at 580 Atlanta Road, Suite 203B, with a grand-opening celebration running through September 6. The store buys and sells new and used sports and fitness gear, giving families another local option for equipment as school, recreation and travel sports seasons turn over. Its opening-weekend promotions included giveaways, loyalty incentives, food trucks, Kona Ice and a pledge to donate 5% of weekend sales to the Forsyth County Parks Foundation on September 5 and 6. The store is part of the national Play It Again Sports franchise network, but the Cumming location is independently owned and operated. For Real Forsyth, the angle is clear: more youth sports participation and family growth are supporting resale and specialty sporting-goods retail in the county.

Source: Play It Again Sports

Forsyth County’s handling of data centers is worth watching after the county recently explained how these projects are reviewed and regulated. The discussion followed the summer revocation of a previously approved conditional use permit for a north Forsyth data center after the applicant did not move forward within the required timeframe. County officials noted that data centers are only allowed through a conditional use permit process in limited zoning districts, so future proposals would still need public review instead of being approved automatically.

The bigger takeaway is that data centers are becoming a real local land-use issue, not just a regional trend. These projects can raise questions about power demand, water use, noise, visual buffering, construction traffic and compatibility with nearby homes or businesses. With metro Atlanta continuing to attract major data center investment, Forsyth could see more interest from operators looking for large sites with utility access. The next thing to watch is whether new data center proposals show up on Planning Commission or Board of Commissioners agendas, or whether the county revisits its ordinance as more projects look for sites across the region.

Source: Official Forsyth County FoCo Unplugged

7 Brew Coffee looks like one of the next openings to watch at Southard Exchange, the new retail development near Bethelview Road and Castleberry Road. Faris Lee Investments, the owner of the new 7 Brew, says the lease was scheduled to begin September 1, 2026. That does not confirm an exact public opening date, but it is a strong signal that the project is moving into its final pre-opening phase. Faris Lee also describes the new location as a brand new dual drive-thru. Once the location is open, it will add another drive-thru coffee option to west Forsyth’s fast-growing retail corridor.

Source: Faris Lee Investments

World Market appears to be getting closer to opening at Cumming Town Center. The strongest current source to show this is a job posting for an assistant manager tied to a “new store opening in Cumming Town Center,” with the address listed as 2265 Market Place Boulevard. That is not the same as an official grand-opening announcement, so the exact opening date still needs confirmation, but active hiring is usually a good sign that a store is moving toward launch relatively soon. The addition would bring a national home goods, furniture, food and gift retailer to one of Cumming’s busiest retail areas.

Source: World Market LinkedIn Job Posting

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of Real Forsyth. It’s exciting to see all the new development and growth happening in this county of ours. Have suggestions for the newsletter? Reply to this email; I read all responses. Know someone who’d enjoy this newsletter? Forward them this email! And if you’re a local business interested in sponsoring the next issue, visit this page for information. See you next Sunday :)